Read the excerpt from "the story of an hour," by kate chopin. she knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. but she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. and she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome. there would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. which of chopin’s readers in 1894 likely reacted most favorably to the theme in “the story of an hour”? readers who preferred chopin’s keen sense of humor readers who cherished chopin’s vivid regional style and southern insight readers who embraced the “new woman” and evolving gender roles readers who celebrated the domestic responsibilities of “true womanhood”

The correct answer is "Readers who embraced the 'new woman' and evolving gender roles".

In the story, Mrs. Mallard is a woman who after receiving the news that her husband has passed away, is struck by a weirdly aliviating sensation. She starts experiencing a feeling of freedom so joyous and intense for her that she ends up really wanting to hold on to it in spite of her loss. Later on, when she finds out her husband is actually alive, she suffers a sudden stroke and dies as a consequence in this unexpcted turn of events. This somewhat contradictory twist in the narrative was deemed very controversial by most audiences at the time. But for some readers, it sparked a unique curiosity for the new ways in which a woman's pleasure, happiness and path was starting to be conceived. People that had a more forward-thinking perspective on gender roles celebrated Kate Chopin's bold efforts.

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the answer is b just took the tested